I really just want to share this picture

Hello and a very happy Sunday, my friends.  Check out the awesomeness my son found at the local flea market.  Apparently, they are my Christmas presents. 

 

 

He never even saw "X-Files."  Well, he doesn't remember, anyway.  I loved Agent Mulder.  David Duchovny is kind of skeazy, but Agent Mulder - all clean-cut and intense - yummy.   

 

Anyway, such is the vein of thought for the evening.  I am not feeling particularly deep and meaningful here.  Some interesting points of the past week:

 

 

-My husband and kids went out of town for the day yesterday to see the U of I football game.  I went to the Ryle Craft Show, had lunch with my mom, and hung around, blissfully alone.  It was lovely.

 

-My orange cat just fell asleep sitting up.  He started snoring and everything.  He is so very old.

 

-I burned my upper arm on the tea kettle tonight while reaching for a jar of marshmallow fluff.  It was a dumb move, and now I have a nasty burn on a particularly delicate part of my arm.  Ouch.

 

-I will, once again, call your attention to my supercool Mulder and Scully action figures.  I think I will put them in a bird cage/love nest where they can be together forever, safe from aliens and sinister government operatives.

 

-My classics book club, of which I have become increasingly fond, has decided to add a classic movie-watching night on our off months.  This week we will be viewing "To Kill a Mockingbird" and I am thrilled.  It is a favorite book, and I'm told Gregory Peck is brilliant. 

 

Yeah, I really have nothing tonight.  I need some inspiration, or maybe some sleep.  Plus, I'm in the middle of a really good book and I need to get back upstairs to read.  Sleep well, lovelies.  I'll try for more intriguing material next time.

It all relates somehow.

I didn't take any pictures this week, but I still wanted to post something, maybe just a basic rambling, stream of consciousness type post to get my brain juices (mmm...sweet, sweet brain juices) flowing. 
I started a new book today - I remember my 4th grade teacher reading A Prayer For Owen Meany by John Irving to our class during testing, but I don't remember the story at all, so maybe he didn't.  Anyway, I'm between library books right now, and I got Owen cheap for Kindle a few months ago, so I started it today. 

Guilty pleasure admission - I love listening to relaxing YouTube videos.  I have my favorites, but one I'm listening to right now is SleepyEnglishGuy.  He is giving me a foot massage.  I want a real foot massage right now.  Which reminds me of "Pulp Fiction."  Do you think a foot massage is an intimate activity?  Quite frankly, I'm willing to let anyone rub my feet if that's what they want to do...I do love a good foot rub.  I had this friend in high school who offered to massage my feet at a lock-in once; it was my first foot massage and it was such gorgeousness!  I know people who can't stand to have their feet touched - poor saps; they are truly missing out on one of the great pleasures.

I've just finished a very busy week - afterschool activities, meetings, book clubs, work, capped off with some scrapbooking last night and my Girl's first volleyball game.  They lost, but she had a great time.  Also, my poor Boy has been sick this week - he's not coughing as much, but I'm not loving how slowly he's recovering. 

I have to focus more on my family's health.  We went through several years where my kids never got sick, but they've been sick quite a bit this year.  Bronchitis and allergies, headaches and stomachaches galore - and I'm not easily tricked (by my kids, they are the world's worst liars, thankfully.)  I know the weather this year has something to do with it - the allergens have been dangerously high.  But I have both of them taking a multivitamin everyday, making sure they are drinking plenty of water and getting plenty of sleep, and putting produce with all the meals where I'm in charge.  Of course, I have to focus on my own health, as well, and I haven't been, not since early in the spring.  Tomorrow I will be starting another "Move every day" program for myself.  This worked well for me in the past - 28 days makes a habit, right?  So I'm putting it out there, to all my masses of lovely readers - I vow to exercise at least 10 minutes every day for the next 28 days.  I will post what I do on my SparkPeople blog each day, if you want to check that out (see the side panel for the link to my SparkPage) and I'll update each week here. 

Dang.  See what a stream of consciousness will do to you?  I just vowed, for goodness sake.  I guess I'd better get to bed if I'm going to be exercising this week.  Night.

So much fun packed into one week.

 Happy November! 
So much excitement over the past week - Halloween parties, Halloween itself, my Girl turned TEN, birthday parties, crazy crazy crazy.

Isn't this a pretty picture of my niece?  My Girl took this photo.  Perhaps a talent to be developed?

 My friend A had a book club/Halloween party.  We all read the same horror novel and then got together in costume to discuss the book whilst noshing upon gory eats, most of which she found on Pinterest, which was most definitely developed with her in mind.  We read The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson, and we most definitely all differed in our opinions.  My theory is you must have more than a little crazy yourself in order to enjoy the book and experience the little thrilling scare.  Having more than a little crazy myself - I enjoyed it.  And the party was fun.

I went as Little Red Riding Hood.  Definitely not
 the most inspired costume, but literary, nonetheless.
 

The Girl was a zombie clown for Halloween.  I have collected a bunch of costume components over the years - leftovers from other costumes, stuff I've found on clearance, bits and pieces from crafts stores - and the kids are required to build their own costumes from these ingredients.  This is what she came up with, and it was absolutely terrifying.  I did the make-up - pretty proud of the effect, if very disturbed.  The Girl likes to go scary.  I never did, and neither does her brother, but she likes the scary.  The Boy, on the other hand, decided to sit this Halloween out.  He did, however, enjoy carving his jack-o-lantern (which I forgot to photograph) and then raiding his sister's candy stash (which has now been hidden.)  The weather was icky - cold and wet - but the whole neighborhood still came out for trick-or-treat.  Reminded me of home - Chicago was usually cold and wet on Halloween.

 

It's been interesting reading the opinions from other mama bloggers about Halloween.  I love the holiday.  I love the smell of the evening - dead leaves, bonfires, caramel and pancake makeup and maybe a little beer.  I love seeing all the costumes, trying to guess who is in what, especially seeing something very clever that nobody else is wearing (a few years ago a particularly groovy teenager came trick-or-treating to my house dressed as Dr. Horrible.  He was perfect, and very polite, and sweetly awed at my knowing who he was.  I wanted to give him all the candy.)  I love chatting with the neighbors while the kids run up to the houses, seeing the different decorations at houses that really get into the spirit, and the people who totally turn the experience into a party with firepits and beer and full-sized candybars.  I even love the odd looks I get from the other parents - I always dress up.  No, I don't care that I'm a grown-up.  I play dress-up every chance I get.  Each year is another chance to fondly remember my own childhood, and to make our own traditions.  To enjoy a holiday that is all about fun and ruled by kids. 

 

Anyway, my Girl turned 10 this past week.  My baby is in double digits.  She had her first sleepover party, which was loud and crazy, and actually a lot of fun.  I will not shy away from them anymore.  I didn't plan anything at all - I had a sub job all week last week and with Halloween and working and all it was a bit chaotic.  I made the fixings for tacos and the girls made their own tacos.  They asked to make a craft, so I took out all these old coffee cans I had been saving for no reason and my scrapbook supplies - they made beautiful cans!  They built their own sundaes and watched Elf and they were all asleep by 12:30AM.  Do you remember your own slumber parties?  When I was a kid, someone always ended up in tears before the end of the night.  No tears here, it was lovely. 

 

Anyway, today I had to decompress - I haven't even gotten dressed.  I did some laundry and read most of the day.  Tomorrow begins a new week, with new responsibilities - one of our cars goes back in the shop tomorrow.  So, you know, yay for that.  Have a great night.